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Looking to lose weight in 2018? If so, you have a challenge ahead of you. That’s right: it’s going to take proper dieting and regular exercise to safely lose weight. You might ask, “What about the ads that promise weight loss with no effort?” The truth is, those ads are promoting products that won’t deliver on their promises.

Would you pay $49 for a “secret code” to make huge sums of money automatically? That’s what the FTC says the fraudsters behind the Mobile Money Code scam promised. In fact, the FTC alleges that the defendants and their affiliate marketers were out to rip people off.

Are you looking forward to getting your tax refund in the new year? Tax identity thieves may be looking forward to getting your refund too. That’s why the FTC has designated January 29-February 2, 2018 as Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. Learn to protect yourself from tax identity theft and IRS imposter scams, and what to do if someone you know becomes a victim.

FTC staff work hard to protect you from scams and deceptive business practices. We sue scammers and shut down their operations. In many cases, we get refunds for people. In fact, between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, FTC cases resulted in more than $6.4 billion in refunds. We just released a report with details on the amount of money businesses paid back after we sued them, as well as the average amounts people received in each case.

Is your number one of the more than 229 million phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry? Then you might be interested in the FTC’s just-released National Do Not Call Registry Data Book, which gives an overview of the Registry and complaints the FTC received at donotcall.gov from November 2016 through October 2017.

Nothing puts a damper on the holidays like unwanted calls interrupting your day.

Maybe you’ve gotten one — you answer the phone and hear a recorded message instead of a live person. Internet-powered phone systems have made it cheap and easy for scammers to make illegal sales robocalls from anywhere in the world.

Fortunately, you have some options to block robocalls and other unwanted calls. Some are free and others cost money.

When you give to a charity, you’re giving because you care and want to help — and you want to be sure your money actually gets to those you’re trying to help. But scammers who pretend to be a charity try to get to your wallet. So consider these tips before you give.

After the Equifax breach, some people are considering placing a fraud alert on their credit file. Others will freeze or lock their credit files to help prevent identity thieves from opening new accounts in their name. Here are some FAQs to help you decide what’s best for you.

The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2018 in Moscow. Soccer’s rising stars like Argentina’s Paulo Dybala, France’s Kylian Mbappé, and Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus will join World Cup veterans Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, Isco, Toni Kroos, Neymar, and Lionel Messi to vie for the coveted World Cup trophy. If you’re looking to buy World Cup tickets, here’s what you need to know about buying official match tickets and avoiding a fake ticket scam.

Companies are advertising at-home DNA test kits that promise intriguing insights into your past (“Where did my forebears come from?”) – and your future (“Do I have the genetic markers for certain medical conditions?”). If you’re thinking about buying a kit for yourself or a family member, the FTC has advice about protecting the privacy of the sensitive information that DNA tests reveal.